System and method of a multi-functional managing user interface for accessing a cloud-based platform via mobile devices

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed for implementing an intuitive interface which can facilitate collaboration among the multiple users and collaborators as well as enable utilization of content in a shared space among multiple users in a more effective way. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving updates regarding activities performed by a user and one or more collaborators on contents in a workspace. The method further comprises displaying, on an interactive user interface, lists of information based on the updates to facilitate interaction from the user with respect to the updates. An example of the lists of information can include an activity and, if one or more files are associated with the activity, thumbnails that represent previews of the one or more files. In some embodiments, the thumbnails can enable the user to interact with the files and/or the collaborators.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/026,837 titled “MOBILE DEVICE, METHODS AND USERINTERFACES THEREOF IN A MOBILE DEVICE PLATFORM FEATURING MULTIFUNCTIONALACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT PROVIDED BY ACLOUD-BASED PLATFORM” filed on Sep. 13, 2013, the entire content ofwhich is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

With the advancements in digital technologies, data proliferation andthe ever increasing mobility of user platforms have created enormousamounts of information traffic over mobile and computer networks. Thisis particularly relevant with the increase of electronic and digitalcontent being used in social settings or shared environments of digitalcontent compared to traditional stand-alone personal computers andmobile devices. As a result, content is shared across multiple devicesamong multiple users.

However, content sharing and synchronization currently lacks anintuitive interface which facilitates collaboration among the multipleusers and collaborators as well as enables utilization of content in ashared space among multiple users in a more effective way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are notintended to be limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts an example diagram of a system having a host server of acloud service, collaboration and/or cloud storage accounts withcapabilities that facilitate collaboration among users as well as enableutilization of content in the workspace in an intuitive, effectivemanner;

FIG. 2 depicts an example diagram of a web-based or online collaborationplatform deployed in an enterprise or other organizational setting fororganizing work items and workspaces;

FIG. 3 depicts an example diagram of a workspace in an online orweb-based collaboration environment accessible by multiple collaboratorsthrough various devices;

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating an example of components ina mobile device with an interactive mobile user interface utilizing oneor more techniques disclosed herein that facilitate collaboration amongusers as well as enable utilization of content in the workspace in anintuitive, effective manner;

FIG. 5A-5V respectively depict screenshots showing example userinterfaces embodying one or more techniques disclosed herein for amobile device of a small form factor;

FIG. 6A-6Q respectively depict screenshots showing example userinterfaces embodying one or more techniques disclosed herein for amobile device of a large form factor;

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example process for a mobiledevice in implementing the techniques disclosed herein for facilitatingcollaboration among users as well as enabling utilization of content inthe workspace in an intuitive, effective manner; and

FIG. 8 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, can be executed.

The same reference numbers and any acronyms identify elements or actswith the same or similar structure or functionality throughout thedrawings and specification for ease of understanding and convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references tothe same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of theembodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which can be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which can be requirementsfor some embodiments but not other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms can be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatsame thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms can be used for any oneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification including examples of any termsdiscussed herein is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles can be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions will control.

Techniques are disclosed for implementing an intuitive interface whichcan facilitate collaboration among the multiple users and collaboratorsas well as enable utilization of content in a shared space amongmultiple users in a more effective way. In one embodiment, a methodcomprises receiving updates regarding activities performed by a user andone or more collaborators on contents in a workspace. The method furthercomprises displaying, on an interactive user interface, lists ofinformation based on the updates to facilitate interaction from the userwith respect to the updates. An example of the lists of information caninclude an activity and, if one or more files are associated with theactivity, thumbnails that represent previews of the one or more files.In some embodiments, the thumbnails can enable the user to interact withthe files and/or the collaborators.

Among other advantages, embodiments disclosed herein provide theability, for each person of a user and his or her collaborators, toreceive real-time updates about the collaborative workspace which isshared among them in a way that provides easy-to-understand information,enables intuitive utilization of files, and promotes social interactionswith respect to the real-time updates, all of which can enhance theusers' collaboration experience.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example diagram of a system 100 having a hostserver 110 of a cloud service/platform, collaboration and/or cloudstorage service with capabilities that facilitate collaboration amongusers as well as enable utilization of content in the workspace in anintuitive, effective manner.

The client devices 102 can be any system and/or device, and/or anycombination of devices/systems that is able to establish a connection,including wired, wireless, cellular connections with another device, aserver and/or other systems such as host server 110. Client devices 102typically include a display and/or other output functionalities topresent information and data exchanged between among the devices 102,and/or the host server 110.

For example, the client devices 102 can include mobile, hand held orportable devices or non-portable devices and can be any of, but notlimited to, a server desktop, a desktop computer, a computer cluster, orportable devices including, a notebook, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a palmtop computer, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a PDA, asmart phone (e.g., a BlackBerry device such as BlackBerry Z10/Q10, aniPhone, Nexus 4, etc.), a Treo, a handheld tablet (e.g. an iPad, iPadMini, a Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Xoom Tablet, Microsoft Surface,Blackberry PlayBook, Nexus 7, 10 etc.), a phablet (e.g., HTC Droid DNA,etc.), a tablet PC, a thin-client, a hand held console, a hand heldgaming device or console (e.g., XBOX live, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStationPortable, etc.), iOS powered watch, Google Glass, a Chromebook and/orany other portable, mobile, hand held devices, etc. running on anyplatform or any operating system (e.g., Mac-based OS (OS X, iOS, etc.),Windows-based OS (Windows Mobile, Windows 7, Windows 8, etc.), Android,Blackberry OS, Embedded Linux platforms, Palm OS, Symbian platform,Google Chrome OS, and the like. In one embodiment, the client devices102, and host server 110 are coupled via a network 106. In someembodiments, the devices 102 and host server 110 can be directlyconnected to one another.

The input mechanism on client devices 102 can include touch screenkeypad (including single touch, multi-touch, gesture sensing in 2D or3D, etc.), a physical keypad, a mouse, a pointer, a track pad, motiondetector (e.g., including 1-axis, 2-axis, 3-axis accelerometer, etc.), alight sensor, capacitance sensor, resistance sensor, temperature sensor,proximity sensor, a piezoelectric device, device orientation detector(e.g., electronic compass, tilt sensor, rotation sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer), or a combination of the above.

Signals received or detected indicating user activity at client devices102 through one or more of the above input mechanism, or others, can beused by various users or collaborators (e.g., collaborators 108) foraccessing, through network 106, a web-based collaboration environment oronline collaboration platform (e.g., hosted by the host server 110). Thecollaboration environment or platform can have one or more collectivesettings 105 for an enterprise or an organization that the users belong,and can provide an user interface 104 (e.g., via a webpage accessible bythe web browsers of devices 102) for the users to access such platformunder the settings 105. Additionally, a client software can be provided(e.g., through downloading from the host server 110 via the network 106)to run on the client devices 102 to provide cloud-based platform accessfunctionalities. The users and/or collaborators can access thecollaboration platform via a client software user interface 107, whichcan be provided by the execution of the client software on the devices102.

The collaboration platform or environment hosts workspaces with workitems that one or more users can access (e.g., view, edit, update,revise, comment, download, preview, tag, or otherwise manipulate, etc.).A work item can generally include any type of digital or electroniccontent that can be viewed or accessed via an electronic device (e.g.,device 102). The digital content can include .pdf files, .doc, slides(e.g., Powerpoint slides), images, audio files, multimedia content, webpages, blogs, etc. A workspace can generally refer to any grouping of aset of digital content in the collaboration platform. The grouping canbe created, identified, or specified by a user or through other means.This user can be a creator user or administrative user, for example. Thehost server 110 typically is equipped with or is coupled to a repository130 for storing the work items and/or for hosting the workspace. Therepository 130 can include, for example, one or more hard drives, acentralized or distributed data cluster, or other suitable storagesystems suitable for storing digital data.

In general, a workspace can be associated with a set of users orcollaborators (e.g., collaborators 108) which have access to the contentincluded therein. The levels of access (e.g., based on permissions orrules) of each user or collaborator to access the content in a givenworkspace can be the same or can vary among the users. Each user canhave their own set of access rights to every piece of content in theworkspace, or each user can be different access rights to differentpieces of content. Access rights can be specified by a user associatedwith a workspace and/or a user who created/uploaded a particular pieceof content to the workspace, or any other designated user orcollaborator.

In general, the collaboration platform allows multiple users orcollaborators to access or collaborate efforts on work items such eachuser can see, remotely, edits, revisions, comments, or annotations beingmade to specific work items through their own user devices. For example,a user can upload a document to a workspace for other users to access(e.g., for viewing, editing, commenting, signing-off, or otherwisemanipulating). The user can login to the online platform and upload thedocument (or any other type of work item) to an existing workspace or toa new workspace. The document can be shared with existing users orcollaborators in a workspace.

In general, network 106, over which the client devices 102 and the hostserver 110 communicate can be a cellular network, a telephonic network,an open network, such as the Internet, or a private network, such as anintranet and/or the extranet, or any combination or variation thereof.For example, the Internet can provide file transfer, remote log in,email, news, RSS, cloud-based services, instant messaging, visualvoicemail, push mail, VoIP, and other services through any known orconvenient protocol, such as, but is not limited to the TCP/IP protocol,Open System Interconnections (OSI), FTP, UPnP, iSCSI, NSF, ISDN, PDH,RS-232, SDH, SONET, etc.

The network 106 can be any collection of distinct networks operatingwholly or partially in conjunction to provide connectivity to the clientdevices 102 and the host server 110 and can appear as one or morenetworks to the serviced systems and devices. In one embodiment,communications to and from the client devices 102 can be achieved by, anopen network, such as the Internet, or a private network, such as anintranet and/or the extranet. In one embodiment, communications can beachieved by a secure communications protocol, such as secure socketslayer (SSL), or transport layer security (TLS).

In addition, communications can be achieved via one or more networks,such as, but are not limited to, one or more of WiMax, a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Personal areanetwork (PAN), a Campus area network (CAN), a Metropolitan area network(MAN), a Wide area network (WAN), a Wireless wide area network (WWAN),enabled with technologies such as, by way of example, Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), Personal Communications Service (PCS),Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-Amps), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FixedWireless Data, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, IMT-Advanced, pre-4G, 3G LTE, 3GPP LTE,LTE Advanced, mobile WiMax, WiMax 2, WirelessMAN-Advanced networks,enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), General packet radioservice (GPRS), enhanced GPRS, iBurst, UMTS, HSPDA, HSUPA, HSPA,UMTS-TDD, 1xRTT, EV-DO, messaging protocols such as, TCP/IP, SMS, MMS,extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), real time messagingprotocol (RTMP), instant messaging and presence protocol (IMPP), instantmessaging, USSD, IRC, or any other wireless data networks or messagingprotocols.

The embodiments disclosed herein recognize that, with the growingprevalence of the communication networks (e.g., the Internet) and smartportable devices (e.g., smart phones), there are many instances when itis desirable for a user (and the user's collaborators) to receivereal-time updates about the collaborative workspace which is sharedamong them in a way that provides easy-to-understand information,enables intuitive utilization of files, and promotes social interactionswith respect to the real-time updates. These functionalities can enhancethe user's and the collaborators' collaboration experience of thecloud-based workspace.

In particular, in a large institute setting (e.g., an internationalcorporation) where potentially a high volume of files and data areshared among users and collaborators, it is desirable to provideuser-friendly interactive interface for accessing the content stored inthe shared workspace in a manner that is as intuitive, straightforward,and easy as possible.

Accordingly, by taking into account many examples of visualizationcriteria discussed herein, the embodiments of the present disclosure canreceive real-time or close-to-real-time updates about activities thattook place (either by a user or the user's collaborators) in theworkspace in an easy-to-understand manner. Additionally, someembodiments provide intuitive ways to allow the user to interact withthe updates (including interacting with collaborators as well asutilizing the contents in the workspace) to enhance productivity.

The advantages provided by the techniques disclosed herein areparticularly beneficial when a large number of collaborators are sharingthe workspace, because each of a user and his or her collaborators, canreceive a large number of updates, and can have a large variety of filesin the shared workspace. By offering unified, multi-functional managinguser interface such as the disclosed embodiments, the time to processand interact with an update information and its associated files can bereduced. Furthermore, effort to manage downloads, uploads, versions offiles, and to find and learn different software for accessing differenttypes of files, as well as the time spent on switching among softwarecan be reduced.

In accordance with some embodiments, the devices 102 are configured toprovide a multi-functional managing user interface to access thecloud-based collaboration platform. In particular, some embodiments ofthe devices 102 can receive updates regarding activities performed bythe user and the one or more collaborators on contents in the workspace.Further, the device 102 can display, on the interactive user interface(e.g., interface 107), lists of information based on the updates tofacilitate interaction from the user with respect to the updates. Anexample of a list of information can include an activity (e.g., upload,download, preview, comment, etc.) and, if one or more files (e.g., aJPEG photo, an AVI video, or a PDF document) are associated with theactivity, thumbnails that represent previews of the one or more files.One or more embodiments provide that the thumbnails can enable the userto interact with the files, such as open, edit, play, highlight,comment, save, and so forth.

In some additional embodiments, the devices 102 are configured so thatthe thumbnails are to be displayed in the interactive user interface 107based on one or more visualization criteria. For example, the clientsoftware that runs on the device 102 can detect a size of a screen onwhich the interactive user interface is displayed. In some embodiments,if the screen's size is what is generally regarded as a small formfactor mobile device (e.g., less than or equal to 7.25 inches of screensize when measured diagonally), then a thumbnail is to occupy largerthan 20% of a height of the screen. Moreover, if the screen's size iswhat is generally regarded as a large form factor mobile device (e.g.,more than 7.25 inches of screen size when measured diagonally), then athumbnail is to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20% of a height ofthe screen.

It is noted, however, that a person having ordinary skill in the artwill understand that techniques disclosed herein can be selectivelyadopted by a client software such that the software can exclusivelyserve or run on a mobile device of a particular size (e.g., that belongsto a large form factor, or a small form factor).

In some embodiments, the lists of information can be sorted based onidentities of who perform the activities. Additionally or alternatively,the lists of information can be further sorted based on timestamps ofthe activities.

More implementation details on the multi-functional interface which canbe provided on the mobile client devices 102 for accessing theworkspace, the files and folders stored therein, and on the socialinteracting functions which can be facilitated by the interface betweenthe user and the collaborators, are discussed in fuller detail below,and particularly with regard to FIG. 4.

FIG. 2 depicts an example diagram of a web-based or online collaborationplatform deployed in an enterprise or other organizational setting 250for organizing work items 215, 235, 255 and workspaces 205, 225, 245.

The web-based platform for collaborating on projects or jointly workingon documents can be used by individual users and shared amongcollaborators. In addition, the collaboration platform can be deployedin an organized setting including but not limited to, a company (e.g.,an enterprise setting), a department in a company, an academicinstitution, a department in an academic institution, a class or coursesetting, or any other types of organizations or organized setting.

When deployed in an organizational setting, multiple workspaces (e.g.,workspace A, B C) can be created to support different projects or avariety of work flows. Each workspace can have its own associate workitems. For example, workspace A 205 can be associated with work items215, workspace B 225 can be associated with work items 235, andworkspace N can be associated with work items 255. The work items 215,235, and 255 can be unique to each workspace but need not be. Forexample, a particular word document can be associated with only oneworkspace (e.g., workspace A 205) or it can be associated with multipleworkspaces (e.g., Workspace A 205 and workspace B 225, etc.).

In general, each workspace has a set of users or collaboratorsassociated with it. For example, workspace A 205 is associated withmultiple users or collaborators 206. In some instances, workspacesdeployed in an enterprise can be department specific. For example,workspace B can be associated with department 210 and some users shownas example user A 208 and workspace N 245 can be associated withdepartments 212 and 216 and users shown as example user B 214.

Each user associated with a workspace can generally access the workitems associated with the workspace. The level of access will depend onpermissions associated with the specific workspace, and/or with aspecific work item. Permissions can be set for the workspace or setindividually on a per work item basis. For example, the creator of aworkspace (e.g., one of user A 208 who creates workspace B) can set onepermission setting applicable to all work items 235 for other associatedusers and/or users associated with the affiliate department 210, forexample. Creator user A 208 can also set different permission settingsfor each work item, which can be the same for different users, orvarying for different users.

In each workspace A, B . . . N, when an action is performed on a workitem by a given user or any other activity is detected in the workspace,other users in the same workspace can be notified (e.g., in real time orin near real time, or not in real time). Activities which trigger realtime notifications can include, by way of example but not limitation,adding, deleting, or modifying collaborators in the workspace,uploading, downloading, adding, deleting a work item in the workspace,creating a discussion topic in the workspace.

In some embodiments, items or content downloaded or edited can causenotifications to be generated. Such notifications can be sent torelevant users to notify them of actions surrounding a download, anedit, a change, a modification, a new file, a conflicting version, anupload of an edited or modified file.

In one embodiment, in a user interface to the web-based collaborationplatform where notifications are presented, users can, via the sameinterface, create action items (e.g., tasks) and delegate the actionitems to other users including collaborators pertaining to a work item215, for example. The collaborators 206 can be in the same workspace A205 or the user can include a newly invited collaborator. Similarly, inthe same user interface where discussion topics can be created in aworkspace (e.g., workspace A, B or N, etc.), actionable events on workitems can be created and/or delegated/assigned to other users such ascollaborators of a given workspace 206 or other users. Through the sameuser interface, task status and updates from multiple users orcollaborators can be indicated and reflected. In some instances, theusers can perform the tasks (e.g., review or approve or reject, etc.)via the same user interface.

FIG. 3A depicts an example diagram of a workspace 302 in an online orweb-based collaboration environment accessible by multiple collaborators322 through various devices.

Each of users 316, 318, and 320 can individually use multiple differentdevices to access and/or manipulate work items 324 in the workspace 302with which they are associated with. For example users 316, 318, 320 canbe collaborators on a project to which work items 324 are relevant.Since the work items 324 are hosted by the collaboration environment(e.g., a cloud-based environment), each user can access the work items324 anytime, and from any physical location using any device (e.g.,including devices they own or any shared/public/loaner device).

Work items to be edited or viewed can be accessed from the workspace302. Users can also be notified of access, edit, modification, and/orupload related-actions performed on work items 324 by other users or anyother types of activities detected in the workspace 302. For example, ifuser 316 modifies a document, one or both of the other collaborators 318and 320 can be notified of the modification in real time, or nearreal-time, or not in real time. The notifications can be sent throughany of all of the devices associated with a given user, in variousformats including, one or more of, email, SMS, or via a pop-up window ina user interface in which the user uses to access the collaborationplatform. In the event of multiple notifications, each notification canbe depicted preferentially (e.g., ordering in the user interface) basedon user preferences and/or relevance to the user (e.g., implicit orexplicit).

For example, a notification of a download, access, read, write, edit, oruploaded related activities can be presented in a feed stream amongother notifications through a user interface on the user deviceaccording to relevancy to the user determined based on current or recentactivity of the user in the web-based collaboration environment.

In one embodiment, the notification feed stream further enables users tocreate or generate actionable events (e.g., as task) which are or can beperformed by other users 316 or collaborators 322 (e.g., including adminusers or other users not in the same workspace), either in the sameworkspace 302 or in some other workspace. The actionable events such astasks can also be assigned or delegated to other users via the same userinterface.

For example, a given notification regarding a work item 324 can beassociated with user interface features allowing a user 316 to assign atask related to the work item 324 (e.g., to another user 316, admin user318, creator user 320 or another user). In one embodiment, a commentinguser interface or a comment action associated with a notification can beused in conjunction with user interface features to enable taskassignment, delegation, and/or management of the relevant work item orwork items in the relevant workspaces, in the same user interface.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating an example of components ina mobile device (e.g., device 102, FIG. 1; device 202, FIG. 2; devices304-314, FIG. 3) with an interactive mobile user interface (e.g.,interface 107, FIG. 1) utilizing one or more techniques disclosed hereinthat facilitate collaboration among users (e.g., user 208, orcollaborators 206, FIG. 2; user 316 and collaborators 322, FIG. 3) aswell as enable utilization of content (e.g., work items 215, 235, 255,FIG. 2; item 324, FIG. 3) in the workspace (e.g., workspace 205, 225,245, FIG. 2; workspace 302, FIG. 3) in an intuitive, effective manner.

FIG. 5A-5V respectively depict screenshots showing example userinterfaces embodying one or more techniques disclosed herein for amobile device of a small form factor. FIG. 6A-6Q respectively depictscreenshots showing example user interfaces embodying one or moretechniques disclosed herein for a mobile device of a large form factor.With reference to FIGS. 1-3, 5A-5V and 6A-6Q, the multi-functionalmanaging interface within which one or more embodiments disclosed hereincan be implemented is described below.

The mobile device 400 can include, for example, a bus 402, and a memory404 among other components. The memory 404 may include a user interfacemodule 410, an activity monitor 420 and a content access manager 430.The memory 404 can also include a communication module 425 thatfacilitates communication between the mobile device 400 and the hostserver 110 using any of the communication protocols supported by themobile device 400 and the host server 100. The memory 404 may alsoinclude other device modules 427 such as a GPS module for determiningand providing location information, text input module for accepting andprocessing inputs provided using different input mechanisms of themobile device, and the like for handling various functions of the mobiledevice 400. Additional or less components/modules/engines can beincluded in the mobile device 400 and each illustrated component.

The bus 402 is a subsystem for transferring data between the componentsof the mobile device 400. For example, the bus 402 facilitates thetransfer of data between the memory 404 and other components of themobile device such as the processor and/or the input/output componentsthat utilize the data.

As used herein, a “module,” “a manager,” a “handler,” a “detector,” an“interface,” or an “engine” includes a general purpose, dedicated orshared processor and, typically, firmware or software modules that areexecuted by the processor. Depending upon implementation-specific orother considerations, the module, manager, handler, or engine can becentralized or its functionality distributed. The module, manager,hander, or engine can include general or special purpose hardware,firmware, or software embodied in a computer-readable (storage) mediumfor execution by the processor. As used herein, a computer-readablemedium or computer-readable storage medium is intended to include allmedia that are statutory (e.g., in the United States, under 35 U.S.C.§101), and to specifically exclude all media that are non-statutory innature to the extent that the exclusion is necessary for a claim thatincludes the computer-readable (storage) medium to be valid. Knownstatutory computer-readable mediums include hardware (e.g., registers,random access memory (RAM), non-volatile (NV) storage, to name a few),but may or may not be limited to hardware.

As previously described, overall, the mobile device 400 can provide amulti-functional managing interface (e.g., interface 107, such asgenerated by a client software running on device 400) to its user(s) foraccessing contents stored in the cloud-based workspace as well ascontents stored locally on the device 400; in addition, the interfaceincludes integrated functions for enhancing user's file accessexperience, and for facilitating social interactions with one or morecollaborators.

In one embodiment, the user interface module 410 can include a userinterface rendering engine 410 a and a user input detector 410 b. Theuser interface rendering engine 410 a includes program codes that acceptdata in Extensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript Object Notation(JSON) or other forms and formatting or style information (e.g.,Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)) to display the formatted content on thescreen of the mobile device. An example of the rendering engine 410 a isthe webkit layout engine used in the Android platform. The renderingengine 410 a may utilize C/C++ libraries such as SQL lite and graphicslibraries such as OpenGL ES to render user interface graphics. The userinput detector 410 b can be coupled to one or more suitable pieces ofhardware, for example, an actuatable button, a keyboard, a touchscreen,a gesture capturing device, a camera, a mouse, a microphone, and soforth, to receive user inputs for selecting and performing actions onthe contents, whether stored in the cloud-based workspace 302 or locallyon the device 400.

As an optional embodiment, the user interface module 410 can include adevice form factor detector module 410 c for determining a form factorof the device 400 (e.g., a size of a screen on which the interactiveuser interface 107 can be displayed). As is described in fuller detailbelow, in some embodiments, the user interface rendering engine 410 acan adjust the layout and arrangement of the multi-functional managinginterface 107 based on the detected form factor. It is noted, however,that a person having ordinary skill in the art will understand thattechniques disclosed herein can be selectively adopted by a clientsoftware such that the software can exclusively serve or run on a mobiledevice of a particular size (e.g., that belongs to a large form factor,or a small form factor). It is also noted that the phrases “small formfactor” and “large form factor” are used in a relative sense, althoughthe present disclosure recognizes that, in general, a device with ascreen size is less than or equal to 7.25 inches when measureddiagonally can be referred to as a small(er) form factor device, and adevice with a screen size is greater than 7.25 inches when measureddiagonally can be referred to as a large(r) form factor device.

An example screenshot of a login view 500 of such multi-functionalmanaging interface 107 displayed in a small form factor device isillustrated in FIG. 5A. An example screenshot of a login view 600 ofsuch multi-functional managing interface 107 displayed in a large formfactor device is illustrated in FIG. 6A. After a user logs in, contentsthat are stored in the workspace 302, and/or contents that are storedlocally on the device 400 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5B as local folder502; in FIG. 6B as local folder 602) can be displayed, on theinteractive user interface 107. Further, in some embodiments (e.g., ofthose implemented on small form factor devices) a multi-functional sidebar (e.g., side bar 506, FIG. 5C) can be activated upon the userselecting a button 504. In some other embodiments (e.g., of thoseimplemented on large form factor devices), the multi-functional side bar(e.g., side bar 606, FIG. 6B) can be displayed without any useractivation.

The activity monitor 420 enables the devices 400 to receive updatesregarding activities performed by the user and the one or morecollaborators (e.g., collaborators 322) on contents in the workspace302. The activity monitor 420 can include an activity tracking module422 and an activity feed generator/aggregator module 424. The activitystatus tracking module 422 can track the status of an activity byperiodically querying (e.g., via the optional activity informationrequestor module 422 a) the host server or local storage areas of themobile device 400 to obtain an update about an activity performed on oneor more work items 324 in the workspace 302, such as a transfer of afile (e.g., for upload) to or (e.g., for upload) from the host server110. For example, if the activity is an upload/download of a work itemto or from the host server of the cloud-based platform, then theactivity status tracking module 422 tracks the information of theupload/download by determining (e.g., via an activity informationprocessing module 422 b) parameters of the activity. Examples of theseparameters can include activity type (e.g., upload, download, preview,comment, highlight, etc), identity of the performer of the activity,time of the activity's performance, and the file(s) associated with theactivity. In the alternative embodiment which does not require theactivity information requestor module 422 a, the activity monitor 420can receive updates from the host server 110 passively (e.g., via a“push” notice) or via other suitable means (e.g., by a notificationserver, not depicted for simplicity).

The activity feed generator module 424 can aggregate and process theactivity information derived from the activity tracking module 422 andgenerate lists of information for display on the multi-functionalmanaging interface 107 (e.g., via the user interface module 410) in anintuitive manner. In particular, the device 400 can display, on theinteractive user interface (e.g., interface 107), lists of informationbased on the updates to facilitate interaction from the user withrespect to the updates. An example of a list of information can includean activity (e.g., upload, download, preview, comment, etc.) and, if oneor more files (e.g., a JPEG photo, an AVI video, or a PDF document) areassociated with the activity, thumbnails that represent previews of theone or more files.

Examples of a preview can include a miniature representation of a firstpage (or a first few pages) of a document file, a miniature and perhapslower resolution version of a photo file, a cover photo of an album thata music file belongs, a first frame (or even a short animationconsisting a few frames) of a video file, or an default icon thatrepresents a type of the file (e.g., an executable software). In thisway, the preview in the updates can depict actual content of the filesin the updates so as to enable the user to take a quick glance at theactual content of the files without the need for the user to access thefile. This can reduce time and effort for the user in reading andresponding to the updates when collaborating with his or hercollaborators on items shared on the workspace 302.

Example screenshots of an update page which displays lists ofinformation based on the received activity updates are shownrespectively in FIG. 5D (for a small form factor device) and in FIG. 6C(for a large form factor device). The update page that contains can beactivated by selecting an update button (e.g., button 508, FIG. 5C;button 608, FIG. 6B) on the side bar 506, 606.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 5D, a list of information 512a-512 c each displays an activity, and if one or more files areassociated with the activity, thumbnails 510 a-510 c that representpreviews of the one or more files associated with the activity.Furthermore, in some implementations, the lists of information 512 a-512c can be sorted based on identities of who perform the activities;additionally, the lists of information 512 a-512 c can be further sortedbased on timestamps of the activities. For example, list 512 a is shownto indicate that a collaborator “Nick Rolph” downloaded 2 files (fromthe workspace 302) today, and the two files that are downloaded by Nickare shown in thumbnails 510 a and 510 b. A portrait or an icon of NickRolph can be shown next to his name on the list 512 a, in some examples,to enable easier identification of the activity performer. According tosome embodiments, the thumbnails can show a preview of the file whensuch preview is available and/or appropriate. For example, thumbnail 510a displays a miniature version of the photographic file that isdownloaded by Nick. In some embodiments, a scroll bar 514 (shown ashidden in FIG. 5D) can be activated (e.g., upon a touch on the screen ora scrolling swipe-up gesture) to show more lists of information (e.g.,list 512 c). Optionally, lists 512 a-512 c can include a contract/expandelement 516 a-516 c, which can be operable (e.g., via a touchscreen) soas to hide/show the thumbnails 510 a-510 c. The scroll bar 514 can alsobe configured to show itself whenever the lists of information 512 a-512c occupy over a page.

In some additional embodiments, the devices 400 are configured so thatthe thumbnails 510 a-510 c are to be displayed in the interactive userinterface 107 based on one or more visualization criteria. For example,the client software that runs on the device 400 can detect a size of ascreen on which the interactive user interface is displayed. In someembodiments, if the screen's size is what is generally regarded as asmall form factor mobile device (e.g., less than or equal to 7.25 inchesof screen size when measured diagonally), then a thumbnail is to occupylarger than 20% of a height of the screen; such example is generallyillustrated in FIG. 5D. Moreover, if the screen's size is what isgenerally regarded as a large form factor mobile device (e.g., more than7.25 inches of screen size when measured diagonally), then a thumbnailis to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20% of a height of thescreen; such example is generally illustrated in FIG. 6C.

One or more embodiments provide that the thumbnails can enable the userto interact with the files, such as open, edit, play, highlight,comment, save, and so forth. For example, a user can click on thumbnail510 a to access to the picture, or on thumbnail 510 c to access the PDFdocument. An example screenshot showing such integrated access is shownin FIG. 5E (for small form factor devices) and in FIG. 6D (for largeform factor devices).

In some embodiments, a cloud status button can be provided in theinterface 107 (e.g., the status button 536 in FIG. 5D) can be providedto the user to allow viewing of the mobile device 400's currentupload/download activities to/from the host server 110, as well as othersuitable activities like copying or moving contents between the hostserver 110 and device 400. An example of such status page is shown inthe screenshot of FIG. 5K.

Furthermore, according to one or more embodiments, the content accessmanager 430 together with the communication module 425 can also enter an“always on” mode which enable the mobile device 400 to stay active(e.g., and not enter a stand-by mode) when there areuploading/downloading activities being performed on the mobile device400 to increase the probability of successful operations, especiallywhen the mobile device 400 is connected to a power outlet. In someembodiments, however, if the mobile device 400 runs on battery and thebattery power become too low (e.g., <10%), or if the activity isdraining too much battery power (e.g., 20%), then the device 400 canstill go into the stand-by mode to conserver power.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the multi-functionalmanaging interface 107 can provide integrated access to contents storedin the workspace 302 and/or on the mobile device 400 in a way that isintuitive, efficient and collaboration-promoting. The presentembodiments provide, through the managing interface 107, several ways toaccess the contents. As discussed above, a user can gain access to thecontents via interacting with the lists of information 512 a-512 c thatcontain activity updates. Another way is to select to access contentfrom a file managing page of the interface 107, which is accessible viaselecting a file managing button 518 on the side bar 506 (or button 618on the side bar 606). Example screenshots of the file managing page areshown in FIG. 5L (for small form factor devices) and FIG. 6J (for largeform factor devices), respectively.

The content access manager 430 which can respond to the content accessrequests can include a file type detector 432, a social interactionmodule 436, and optimized software modules 434 including, for example, aphoto module 434 a, a music module 434 b, a video module 434 c, and adocument module 434 d.

In some embodiments, upon receiving a request from the user of a file inthe contents for access, the file type detector 432 can detect a type ofthe file, and the content access manager 430 can determine whether thefile's type is compatible with the mobile device 400. If the file's typeis incompatible (e.g., if the file is not compiled for execution on thedevice 400, or if device 400 lacks proper tools to access such file),then the content access manager 430 can display an alert to the userbefore downloading the file for access. Additionally, the manager 430can prompt the user with options, such as canceling the access, ordownloading appropriate tool applications. If it is the case that thedevice 400 lacks proper tools to access such files, then the manager 430can direct the user to a preferred application page (e.g., as shown inFIG. 5U and FIG. 6P, also respectively accessible via button 548, 648).In one or more embodiments, after a preferred application is downloadedand installed, it can be initiated within, or in conjunction with, theinterface 107 (e.g., via an “open-in” function, described below) inaccessing the file.

The social interaction module 436 can enable the user to interact withthe collaborators during the integrated access to promote collaborationexperience. According to some embodiments, when the user interacts withthe list of information 512 a by selecting the thumbnail 510 a, or whenthe user selects to access a file from the file managing page andthereby entering an access page (as shown in FIG. 5E and FIG. 6D) forthe file, the mobile device 400 can provide multiple social (e.g., viamodule 436) as well as content access functions (e.g., via manager 430)to the user. In some embodiments, functions provided in the exampleaccess page can be hidden or shown by toggling a function button (e.g.,button 617 in FIG. 6D).

More specifically, the example access page as shown in FIG. 5E includesan open-in button 518, a share button 520, a comment button 522, and a“more function” button 524. Some embodiments of the mobile device 400also includes a thumbnail browse button 526. Similarly, the functionpage as shown in FIG. 6E (which can be accessed via button 617 of FIG.6D) includes an open-in button 618, a share button 620, a comment button622, and a “more function” button 624. These functional buttons havesimilar functionalities regardless of the form factor of device 400;however, various screenshots are provided herein to provide a comparisonof how the layout differences between a small form factor device (e.g.,as shown in FIGS. 5A-5V) and a large form factor device (e.g., as shownFIGS. 6A-6Q) can be.

The open-in button 518, 618 can initiate access functionalities, withinthe multi-functional managing interface 107, including viewing, editing,or other suitable functions on, the selected content using one or morethird-party applications that are installed in the mobile device 400. Anexample screenshot that allows a user to access the selected contentusing a third-party application is shown in FIG. 6G. An option can alsobe prompted to the user to add/download an application that is notcurrently installed on the mobile device 400, such as an “add apps”options illustrated in the screenshot of FIG. 6G. Although suchfunctional page is not shown for a small form factor device, the open-inbutton 518 has similar functionalities as the open-in button 618.

The share button 520, 620 can initiate sharing functionalities, withinthe multi-functional managing interface 107, including attaching toemail, emailing link, short-messaging link, copying link to clipboard,or other suitable functions, for the selected content. The links can bea public link or semi-public link (e.g., available for limited userswithin a certain domain only) that is provided form the workspace 302.An example screenshot that allows a user to share the selected contenteither via email attachment or via sharing a link provided by acloud-based platform provider is shown in FIG. 6H.

The comment button 522, 622 can bring the user to a comment page, suchas screenshots shown in FIGS. 5F and 6E. The comment page includescomments 522 a, 622 a recorded from other collaborators of the user on aparticular content (e.g., a file, a folder, an assigned task, anactivity, etc.). A user can also be prompted on the comment page toenter (e.g., via comment line 522 b, 622 b) his or her own comment sothat other collaborators may see.

The more function button 524, 624 can bring the user to a “morefunction” page, such as screenshots shown in FIG. 5G and FIG. 6F. Themore function page includes a list of actions that are available to theuser to perform on a file. The identity of as well as other relevantinformation regarding the file can be displayed (e.g., on the top ofFIG. 5G, or on the right-top corner of FIG. 6F) on the more functionpage. Examples of actions include “open-in,” “share,” “comment,”“favorite,” as well as file managing functions such as save, copy toclipboard, copy to folder, move, rename, delete, and so forth. It isnoted that the actions available on the more function page may includethose functions having quick buttons on the access page, such as“comment,” or “open-in.”

The thumbnail browse button 526, 626 can bring the user to a thumbnailbrowse page, such as screenshots shown in FIG. 5H. The thumbnail browsepage can allow the user to browse the contents accessible through themulti-functional managing interface 107 in a visual and more intuitivemanner. In some embodiments, the thumbnail browsing can be selected tobe limited to browsing of photos and/or videos. The thumbnails caninclude preview of the first page or a few selected pages, pages, orother suitable visual miniature representation of the contents beingviewed, such as an album cover of a music file.

In addition, the optimized software modules 434 can enable, accelerateand/or enhance the user experience of various types of access with themulti-functional managing interface 107.

In some embodiments, if the file that the user attempts to access ispictorial (e.g., a BMP file, a JPG file, or the like), the photo module434 a can start displaying the file before the file is downloadedcompletely by displaying a lower resolution version of the file first,and then the photo module 434 a can gradually transition from the lowerresolution version of the file to a full resolution of the file as thedownloading of the file completes. In some embodiments, the photo module434 a can transition from the lower resolution version to the fullresolution version when the downloading of the file is completed. Someembodiments provides that the transition can gradually takes placewithout the user's notice. More specifically, it is recognized in one ormore embodiments of the photo module 434 a that there is a rate limitfor human eyes to adapt and see the details of a photo even when a fullresolution photo is presented. Therefore, the photo module 434 a canaccelerate the display of photographic or pictorial files by displayingthe lower resolution. In a preferred embodiment, the lower resolutionversion of the file still includes enough amount of details so that mosthumans cannot tell the difference between the lower and full resolutionversions, especially when they are displayed in a thumbnail such asthumbnails 510 a-510 c.

In some embodiments, if the file that the user attempts to access ismusic or audio (e.g., an MP3 file, a WMA file, or the like), the musicmodule 434 b can start fetching metadata (e.g., ID3 tags) of the file assoon as the file starts to load, and then the music module 434 b candisplay information related to the file based on the fetched metadata.In this way, the user can access information before the file finishesloading, such as seeing the album's cover art (e.g., downloaded fromonline database), or emailing/sharing the cover art with another.Examples of a music playback access page enabled by the music module 434b are shown in FIG. 5T and FIG. 6O.

In some embodiments, if the file that the user attempts to access isvideo or audiovisual (e.g., an AVI file, a VOB file, or the like), thevideo module 434 b can pre-fetch a first frame, a first few frames, or aselected few frames from different segments, of the file so that a shortpreview can be shown to the user before a user attempts to access it.Also, similar to the music module 434 b, the video module 434 c canstart fetching metadata of the video files as soon as the file starts toload. An example of a video playback access page enabled by the videomodule 434 c is shown in FIG. 5I.

In some embodiments, if the file that the user attempts to access is ofa portable document format (PDF), the document module 434 d can provide,via the user interface 107 (e.g., in an PDF access page), a brightnessbutton to adjust the brightness for displaying the PDF file. In someembodiments, the mobile device 400 can memorize a brightness profile orhistory on a per-user or a per-file basis. Examples of the brightnessbutton are illustrated in FIG. 5J and FIG. 6I as button 530 and button630, respectively. The document module 434 d can also provide a searchfunction to search the content of the PDF file. The search functionbutton is illustrated in FIG. 5J as button 532, and in FIG. 6I as button632. In addition, the document module 434 d can allow the user tobookmark pages of the PDF file for easier later access. The bookmarkfunction button is illustrated in FIG. 5J as button 534, and in FIG. 6Ias button 634.

In some embodiments, the document module 434 d can enable a thumbnailpreview of the PDF file as previously described (e.g., showing the firstpage or a first few pages as one or several thumbnails representing thePDF file in situations that the file is associated, such as in anactivity update). Some embodiments of the document module 434 d can alsoprovide note writing functions on the PDF file.

As an additional or alternative embodiment, the document module 434 dcan also recognize whether a file is a source code (e.g., from a fileextension such as “.c”, “.cxx”, “.java”, etc.), and if the file is asource code, the document module 434 d can color the source code basedon one or more syntax highlighting rules. Other examples of source codetypes can include Javascript, Ruby, PHP, HTML, CSS, and so forth. Theuser can also customize the rules and/or install his or her own rulesfor syntax highlighting.

As previously mentioned, the multi-functional managing interface 107 canprovide integrated access to contents stored in the workspace 302 and/oron the mobile device 400 in a way that is intuitive, efficient andcollaboration-promoting. Accordingly, the file managing page of theinterface 107 (see FIGS. 5L and 6J), which is accessible via selecting afile managing button 518 on the side bar 506 (or button 618 on the sidebar 606), can provide various functionalities that improves the userexperience.

For example, the user can easily switch among different folders byclicking or tapping on the button which shows the current folder, suchas illustrated in the screenshots of FIG. 5M and FIG. 6K. Additionally,the user can perform a selected number of primary actions simply bytapping or selecting each file, such as illustrated in the screenshot ofFIG. 5N. More specifically, in some embodiments, after tapping on afile, besides sharing (which is described above) and deleting, the usercan add the selected file into the user's “favorite list.” The “add tofavorite” button is shown, as examples, in FIG. 5N as button 529. Theuser's favorite list can be accessed through the favorite page, whichcan be entered by button 528 on the side bar 506 (FIG. 5C), or by button628 on the side bar 606 (FIG. 6B).

Further, the file managing page can include an “add new” button (e.g.,button 540, FIG. 5L; button 640, FIG. 6J), which can provide the userwith action options such as add new folder, add new note, add new photo& video, add new audio recording, or import from library. Examplescreenshots depicting the add new page which can be triggered by thebuttons 540, 640 are shown in FIGS. 5O and 6K, respectively. Examplescreenshots of a “new note” page, which can be activated via the add newnote option, are shown in FIGS. 5P And 6L. The notes can be either savedlocally on the mobile device 400 or in the workspace 302. Examplescreenshots of a finished note are shown in FIGS. 5Q and 6M.

The file managing page can also include a “bulk action” button (e.g.,button 542, FIG. 5L; button 642, FIG. 6J), which can provide the userwith action options that can be performed on multiple selected files,such as copy, cut, paste, move, or delete. Example screenshots depictingthe bulk action page which can be triggered by the buttons 542, 642 areshown in FIG. 5R (for small form factor devices) and FIG. 6N (for largeform factor devices). In some embodiments, for small for factor devices,the action options for bulk action can be displayed only after at leastone file is selected, such as shown in FIG. 5S.

Further enhancing convenience and user experience, the user can selectone or more files to be available for editing or viewing in an offlinemode. Specifically, the content access manager 430 can coordinate withthe communication module 425 to download the selected files onto thedevice 400 so as to prepare the selected files for the offline modeaccess. An offline access page, which can be entered via button 538 onthe side bar 506 (FIG. 5C), or via button 638 on the side bar 606 (FIG.6B), can display these offline accessible files for the user to accessduring an offline period, so that although workspace 302 may betemporarily unreachable, the user can still enjoy the variousfunctionalities provided by the multi-functional managing interface 107.In some embodiments, after the device 400 becomes back online, thedevice 400 can automatically synchronize with the host server 110 andperforms updates, including the aforementioned activity updates, tocontents in the workspace 302.

In some embodiments, the preferred application page can include anoption to allow the user to create his or her own categories. Examplesof this function are shown in FIG. 5V and FIG. 6Q.

In some embodiments, the content access manager 430 can allow the userto compress (e.g., using a ZIP algorithm, an RAR algorithm, or othersuitable file compression algorithms) select file or files, whetherstored locally or in the workspace 302.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example process 700 for amobile device (e.g., devices 102, FIG. 1; mobile device 400, FIG. 4) inimplementing the techniques disclosed herein for facilitatingcollaboration among users as well as enabling utilization of content inthe workspace (e.g., workspace 302, FIG. 3) in an intuitive, effectivemanner. The process 700 is performed, for example, by a processor thatis included on the mobile device 102, 400. Workspace 302 (e.g.,workspaces A 205, B 225, or N 245, FIG. 2) is shared among a user of theclient devices 102, 400 and one or more collaborators (e.g.,collaborators 108, FIG. 1; collaborators 322, FIG. 3) of the user. Thehost server 110 is a server that hosts the cloud-based environment whichincludes workspace 302.

In accordance with some embodiments, the devices 102, 400 are configuredto provide a multi-functional managing user interface (e.g., interface107, FIG. 1) to access the workspace 302 and/or local files on device102, 400. In particular, some embodiments of the devices 102, 400 canreceive (710) updates regarding activities performed by the user and theone or more collaborators on contents in the workspace 302 (e.g., via anactivity monitor 420, FIG. 4).

Optionally, the device 102, 400 can detect (720) a size of a screen onwhich the interface 107 is displayed (e.g., via the device form factordetector module 410 c, FIG. 4).

Further, the device 102, 400 can display (730) (e.g., via an UI module410, FIG. 4), on the interactive user interface 107, lists ofinformation (e.g., lists 512 a-512 c, FIG. 5D) based on the updates tofacilitate interaction (such as various aforementioned functionalitiesprovided by the content access manager 430, FIG. 4) from the user withrespect to the updates.

A list of information (e.g., list 512 a) can include (732) an activity(e.g., upload, download, preview, comment, etc.) and, if one or morefiles (e.g., a JPEG photo, an AVI video, or a PDF document) areassociated with the activity, thumbnails (e.g., 510 a-510 c, FIG. 5D)that represent previews of the one or more files. One or moreembodiments provide that the thumbnails 510 a-510 c can enable (734) theuser to interact with the files, such as open, edit, play, highlight,comment, save, and so forth.

In some additional embodiments, the devices 102, 400 are configured(736) so that the thumbnails 510 a-510 c are to be displayed in theinteractive user interface 107 based on one or more visualizationcriteria.

For example, in some embodiments, if the screen's size is what isgenerally regarded as a small form factor mobile device (e.g., less thanor equal to 7.25 inches of screen size when measured diagonally), then athumbnail (e.g., 510 a) is to occupy larger than 20% of a height of thescreen, such as shown in FIG. 5D. Moreover, if the screen's size is whatis generally regarded as a large form factor mobile device (e.g., morethan 7.25 inches of screen size when measured diagonally), then athumbnail is to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20% of a height ofthe screen, such as shown in FIG. 6C.

Overall, among other advantages, embodiments disclosed herein providethe ability, for each person of a user and his or her collaborators, toreceive real-time updates about the collaborative workspace which isshared among them in a way that provides easy-to-understand information,enables intuitive utilization of files, and promotes social interactionswith respect to the real-time updates, all of which can enhance theusers' collaboration experience.

FIG. 8 shows a diagrammatic representation 800 of a machine in theexample form of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, can be executed.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine can operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine can be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a user device, a tablet, a phablet, a laptop computer, aset-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a thin-clientdevice, a cellular telephone, an iPhone, an iPad, aBlackberry, aprocessor, a telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch orbridge, a console, a hand-held console, a (hand-held) gaming device, amusic player, any portable, mobile, hand-held device, or any machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure, can be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include, but are not limitedto, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

The network interface device enables the machine 2800 to mediate data ina network with an entity that is external to the host server, throughany known and/or convenient communications protocol supported by thehost and the external entity. The network interface device can includeone or more of a network adaptor card, a wireless network interfacecard, a router, an access point, a wireless router, a switch, amultilayer switch, a protocol converter, a gateway, a bridge, bridgerouter, a hub, a digital media receiver, and/or a repeater.

The network interface device can include a firewall which can, in someembodiments, govern and/or manage permission to access/proxy data in acomputer network, and track varying levels of trust between differentmachines and/or applications. The firewall can be any number of moduleshaving any combination of hardware and/or software components able toenforce a predetermined set of access rights between a particular set ofmachines and applications, machines and machines, and/or applicationsand applications, for example, to regulate the flow of traffic andresource sharing between these varying entities. The firewall canadditionally manage and/or have access to an access control list whichdetails permissions including for example, the access and operationrights of an object by an individual, a machine, and/or an application,and the circumstances under which the permission rights stand.

Other network security functions can be performed or included in thefunctions of the firewall, can be, for example, but are not limited to,intrusion-prevention, intrusion detection, next-generation firewall,personal firewall, etc. without deviating from the novel art of thisdisclosure.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,”“coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling,either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling ofconnection between the elements can be physical, logical, or acombination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,”and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall referto this application as a whole and not to any particular portions ofthis application. Where the context permits, words in the above DetailedDescription using the singular or plural number can also include theplural or singular number respectively. The word “or,” in reference to alist of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretationsof the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list,and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, thedisclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedisclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative embodiments can perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks can be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or subcombinations. Each of theseprocesses or blocks can be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed inseries, these processes or blocks can instead be performed in parallel,or can be performed at different times. Further, any specific numbersnoted herein are only examples: alternative implementations can employdiffering values or ranges.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that can be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further embodiments of thedisclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of theabove Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theteachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system can varyconsiderably in its implementation details, while still beingencompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but alsoall equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure underthe claims.

While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of thedisclosure in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the disclosure is recited as a means-plus-function claim under35 U.S.C. §112, ¶ 6, other aspects can likewise be embodied as ameans-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied ina computer-readable medium. (Any claim intended to be treated under 35U.S.C. §112, ¶ 6 begins with the words “means for”.) Accordingly, theapplicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filing theapplication to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects ofthe disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing access to a cloud-basedworkspace via an interactive user interface on a mobile device, thecloud-based workspace being shared among a user at the mobile device andcollaborators of the user, the method comprising: receiving updatesregarding activities performed by the collaborators of the user oncontent in the cloud-based workspace; displaying, on the interactiveuser interface of the mobile device, a list of information based on theupdates to facilitate interaction from the user of the mobile devicewith respect to the updates, wherein the list of information based onthe updates associated with the user and the collaborators of the userincludes: activities associated with the user or the collaborators ofthe user; and thumbnails that illustrate previews of files associatedwith the activities, wherein the previews depict actual content of thefiles.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnails enable the userat the mobile device to interact with the files.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the thumbnails are configured to be displayed in theinteractive user interface of the mobile device based on a plurality ofvisualization criteria.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:detecting a size of a screen on which the interactive user interface ofthe mobile device is displayed.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein athumbnail is to occupy larger than 20% of a height of the screen if thescreen's size is less than or equal to 7.25 inches when measureddiagonally.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein a thumbnail is to occupylarger than 10% but less than 20% of a height of the screen if thescreen's size is more than 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the list of information is sorted based onidentities of who perform the activities.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the list of information is further sorted based on timestamps ofthe activities.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:displaying, on the interactive user interface of the mobile device, thecontent in the workspace; upon receiving a request from the user of afile in the content for access, detecting a type of the file beforedownloading the file for access.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: determining whether the file's type is compatible; if thefile's type is incompatible, displaying an alert to the user before thedownloading.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: if thefile's type is pictorial: starting displaying the file beforedownloading of the file completes by displaying a lower resolutionversion of the file first; and gradually transitioning from the lowerresolution version of the file to a full resolution of the file as thedownloading of the file completes.
 12. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: if the file's type is audio: starting fetching metadata ofthe file as soon as loading of the file starts; and displayinginformation related to the file based on the metadata.
 13. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising: if the file's type is textual: identifyingwhether the file is a source code; and coloring the source code based ona plurality of syntax highlighting rules.
 14. The method of claim 9,further comprising: if the file's type is of a portable document format(PDF): providing, via the user interface of the mobile device, aselectable element to adjust a brightness for the PDF file.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: displaying, on the interactiveuser interface of the mobile device, the content in the workspace; andupon receiving a selection from the user of a file in the content,prompting the user to perform a plurality of actions on the file. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the user at the mobile device isprompted with an option to select more than one files.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the plurality of actions include obtaining a link tothe workspace for public access to the selected file.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the plurality of actions include preparing theselected file for an offline mode access.
 19. The method of claim 15,wherein the plurality of actions include at least one of: (a) writing anote for the selected file, wherein the note is to be stored in theworkspace; (b) uploading the file to the workspace, if the selected fileis stored locally; (c) downloading the file from the workspace, if theselected file is stored in the workspace; and (d) sharing the selectedfile via email to the collaborators.
 20. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: displaying, on the interactive user interface of the mobiledevice, the content in the workspace; and upon receiving a selectionfrom the user at the mobile device of a file in the content, allowingthe user at the mobile device to add the selection into a favorite listof the user.
 21. A mobile device having an interactive user interface onthe mobile device for providing access to a cloud-based workspace, thecloud-based workspace being shared among a user at the mobile device andcollaborators of the user, the mobile device comprising: a processor;and a memory unit having instructions stored thereon which when executedby the processor, causes the processor to generate the interactive userinterface on the mobile device and to: receive updates regardingactivities performed by the collaborators of the user on content in thecloud-based workspace; display, on the interactive user interface, alist of information based on the updates to facilitate interaction fromthe user of the mobile device with respect to the updates, wherein thelist of information based on the updates associated with the user andthe collaborators of the user includes: activities associated with theuser or the collaborators of the user; and thumbnails that illustratepreviews of files associated with the activity, wherein the previewsdepict actual content of the files.
 22. The mobile device of claim 21,wherein the thumbnails enable the user at the mobile device to interactwith the files.
 23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein thethumbnails are configured to be displayed in the interactive userinterface of the mobile device based on a plurality of visualizationcriteria.
 24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: detect a size of a screen on which theinteractive user interface of the mobile device is displayed.
 25. Themobile device of claim 24, wherein a thumbnail is to occupy larger than20% of a height of the screen if the screen's size is less than or equalto 7.25 inches when measured diagonally.
 26. The mobile device of claim24, wherein a thumbnail is to occupy larger than 10% but less than 20%of a height of the screen if the screen's size is more than 7.25 incheswhen measured diagonally.
 27. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: display, on the interactive userinterface of the mobile device, the content in the workspace; uponreceiving a request from the user of a file in the content for access,detect a type of the file before downloading the file for access.